FROM THIS EPISODE

We've been promised a future where robots will be our friends, and technology will make life's daily chores as easy as flipping a switch. But are we ready for how those innovations will change us as humans? TED speakers consider the promises and perils of our relationship with technology.

Psychologist Sherry Turkle wonders whether higher expectations for technology means we end up expecting less from each other. Robotics engineer Cynthia Breazeal talks about how she now builds robots that teach, learn — and play. Research scientist Andrew McAfee talks about how technology affects the labor market, today and in the future. Physician and writer Abraham Verghese describes our strange new world where patients are data points, and he calls for a return to the traditional physical exam.